White Sox notes.

Thomas' Huge Deal No Big Deal To Boss

The reports that Frank Thomas was close to signing the largest contract in baseball history came at an inopportune time for a team making is first trip to the playoffs in a decade. But manager Gene Lamont tried to downplay the impact.

"If it's true, I don't think it will be much of a distraction to Frank," Lamont joked when he heard the deal reportedly was for $44 million. "I don't think it will hurt us. But I don't think it will do us any good."

- Lamont said he liked the way his players reacted when he held a brief pre-playoff meeting. "The timing of meetings is real important," he said. "If you have too many, I don't think they pay attention."

The last team meeting Lamont had was in August during a crucial four-game series with then-second-place Kansas City.

"The one in Kansas City I could tell everyone's eyes were riveted on me. I think this one (Before the playoffs) was similar," said Lamont. "You can tell when you have a rapport with the players, and I felt it."

Lamont said he told the players two things: to remember they were a good team and to avoid getting carried away with all the hype.

"What I said didn't last too long," Lamont said. "I just said we're here because we're a good team. And I touched on the hype.

"I talked about the media and about how a lot of the players have a lot of people here for the games. I told them: 'You can't make it a big party. Try not to get carried away and try to keep your routine as normal as possible.' "

- The White Sox managed to avoid an international incident with the Canadian flag. Instead of having color bearers carry the flag out and risk the Maple Leaf being turned upside down as it was in Atlanta last year, the Sox simply hoisted the Canadian flag up a pole in center field and used a television camera to show a close-up on the scoreboard.

- Lamont said he slept pretty well on the eve of the first playoff game. "I woke up a couple times," he said. "It's pretty hard to get back to sleep because you've got so much on your mind you start thinking right away."

So how come he kept waking up? "The dog kept licking me in the face."

- Reliever Terry Leach showed up at Comiskey for the first game of the playoffs with a brace on his right elbow. He had surgery last month to repair a torn ligament. "The doctor tells me I can be throwing by the middle of December," Leach said.

- The crowd of 46,246 was the largest in new Comiskey Park history, surpassing by nearly 3,000 the previous high of 43,559 set June 26 against Seattle.

- Rickey Henderson labeled Comiskey Park's basepath between first and second as "too soft," and complained about the traction. Lance Johnson agreed but said he doesn't mind that groundskeeper Roger Bossard tailors the field to the Sox's advantage.

"It is much different," Johnson said. "It's slower here. Roger didn't soften it up any more for Rickey than he did for any of our players. Sometimes you feel like a pig in the mud. You're patching out at first.

"This really isn't my type of ballpark to be in, but I've learned to adapt with the situation, and I'm fast enough where I can still get my bags."

- Yes, that really was Mr. Cub in Comiskey Park Tuesday pulling for the White Sox, and Ernie Banks said Cubs fans should follow his lead.

"It's great for the city and great for baseball," said Banks. "Naturally all of us are pulling for the White Sox to go onto the World Series."

Is that really a possibility?

Banks clutched his stomach and laughed. "Could you repeat the question?" he said.

- A sign in the box seats read "Carlton Fisk Should Be Here," and though Ozzie Guillen agreed, he said it's "part of the game."

"Some people you wan't to be here," he said. "Donn Pall and Bobby Thigpen played here when we had a a real bad team, and now we're in the playoffs and they don't have a chance to be here. That's the way the game is. We still miss `Pudge,' but we've still got to keep going."

- The White Sox will spend Wednesday night at home and travel Thursday to Toronto where they will work out at the SkyDome at 4 p.m. Lamont said he thought it would be better for the team to have a little more time away from the media and a little less time hanging around the hotel in Toronto.